Checking Yourself

Hi ladies, this might be a really stupid topic for conversation, but I’m just wondering how checking your boobs for breast cancer works with implants. So obviously your boobs don’t feel like they did before, and with the implant underneath it’s not like you can press against your ribs when checking yourself like before? I don’t want to sound daft, but I don’t now know how you know what’s boob and what’s implant and what’s normal and what’s not 🙁 sorry for the negativity of the post but it’s a genuine worry I have xxx

Hiya hun ur question is far from stupid & it’s about time someone has asked it plus it’s a answer we’ll all need to seek xx I do not know myself but I now know I’ll be asking that question to my PO, doctors or hospital where they do mammograms, give ur nearest breast clinic a call babe & don’t ever feel silly for asking it as u will now have everyone one here knowing they still need to check themselves once we know how to xxxxx

Brilliant question and not at all stupid! If only people spoke about this more I hadn’t even thought of it! x

Hi Jen, in 11 weeks post opp and do think it’s going to be a lot harder to check yourself for lumps! I have MRI scans every year and will now have to tell them I have implants so can take more pictures xx

Not a daft question at all honey!

I have experience with breast cancer and implants from a relative. My grandma has breast implants and was diagnosed with breast cancer on Christmas Day 2013.

She checked her breast as normal – she was actually told sometimes it’s easier to find a lump as the implant can push it out. Always look in the mirror to see if you can see any strange changes and check with your hands as normal.

& as for mammograms you just need to let them know you’ve got implants – they’ll need to do extra mammograms.

Hope this helps Xxxx

I have been wondering this too, definitely going to be harder now because i have alot of little lumps where my scar is does anyone else have it? Kind of freaked me out when i first noticed. I have family history of tripple negative breast cancer (mum an auntie) which is the most aggressive form of breast cancer, so i was tested for BRCA gene years ago but luckily that was negative but still a worry with not been able to check properly. My mum was really lucky an found her lump while it was still the size of a pea but her sister wasnt so lucky unfortunately, tripple negative speads like wildfire!! Scary xx

Thanks girls, glad I’m not the only one worrying about this, and I really am worrying about this 🙁 I’m hoping to find a video online somewhere, surely someone has done something like this? Other than that I’m going to make a point of asking my surgeon to give me a guided tour of my boobs when I see him in January then hopefully I’ll know what’s boob and what’s implant xxx

Hi girlies, so at my latest appointment with my surgeon I told him about being unsure how to check my breasts now with implants due to not really knowing what’s boob and what’s implant etc. My surgeon is completely wonderful so I felt confident speaking with him about this sensitive matter. He put his hands over the top of my hands and showed me how to examine my breasts on my own body, and explained to me to discount the implant as it’s way back behind my breast tissue (and muscle in my case) so everything I can feel is as it was before, just pushed forward. So basically girls, check check and check your breasts as you would before. I have also found that if you lean forward, your natural breast tissue falls ahead of your implant and you can feel it quite clearly. A good time to do this is when you’re fresh out of the shower and your breasts are warm and supple. I would advise asking your surgeon or nurse to show you if you are unsure. I hope you are all doing great, whatever the stage of your journey xxx

If you had unders, just check yourself as you always did because the implants are covered by your own breast tisssue so anything you feel is not the implant, it’s your own breast! Also mamograms with unders are alot clearer for the same reason

Good question!!! Thanks for the answers girls!! X

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